How to stop Ohio State: A rival coach scouts the Buckeyes before the final

A coach whose team played Ohio State this year sizes up the Buckeyes leading into Monday's national championship game against Oregon.

Even though Cardale Jones has started all of two games, he understands the offense and he’s a big, athletic quarterback who can create when things aren’t there. That’s where Ohio State’s been pretty good in the past with quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett before they got hurt and now with Jones. When they are behind the chains and have to throw, they can turn an average play into a big play with their feet.

The biggest keys are to stop the run -- they’re one of the premier running offenses in the country -- and to contain the quarterback. They try to split the defense by trying to run one play to one direction and a quarterback counter another direction. It’s a power run one way, but instead the quarterback will read the backside defensive end instead of the frontside defensive end and he may pull it. They try to make four, five or six defenders stop one side, but you need to have your others defend the other side of the field. You’ve got to contain Jones on runs, but it’s also him creating the play when things aren’t there.

When you load the box to stop the run and quarterback, you must eliminate the explosive plays down the field. They’ll hit a few, but you’ve got to keep them to a minimum. If you get them behind the sticks, you can attack their pass protections, but they’ve really improved on their offensive line since the beginning of the season. The same goes for their running backs, especially Ezekiel Elliott. He’s been a big part of their growth as the season has gone on.

Defensively, Ohio State is really stout up front, obviously. There’s a reason defensive end Joey Bosa and all those guys are getting all the publicity, and deservedly so. They’re a physical group. They’re used to seeing Oregon’s kind of offense because they face a similar attack every practice. You’ve got to keep Ohio State’s front seven off-balance with a quick passing game. You can have some success running the ball against them, but you have to be patient. Balance offensively is important. It’s imperative to be in second-and-manageable, not second-and-long or third-and-forever against any team, but especially them. Though you can make some plays on the back end of their defense.

I’ve got a lot of respect for Urban Meyer and what he’s done. Obviously Ohio State is one of the true college football powerhouses, but at the same time, Urban has a system. He loses Miller before the season and in comes a phenomenal athlete in his replacement in Barrett, who grows into a Heisman candidate before he goes down with a season-ending injury. Yet the team doesn’t miss a beat bringing in Jones. Urban has done a great job with his system and sticking with the plan. He did a great job not letting his kids listen to the negative chatter and they got better and better. It’s all indicative of their mental toughness that they’ve used to battle through the season. Like when they fell behind 21-6 against Alabama in the semifinal, that deficit is nothing compared to losing your starting quarterback -- twice. They’ve just got that resolve. They’re not supposed to be here anyway. The pressure is on Oregon, not them.

Ohio State 34, Navy 17 (Aug. 30)

The J.T. Barrett era began with neither a bang nor a whimper, but instead a calm, conservative victory. The redshirt freshman completed 12-of-15 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and a blunder of an interception.

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Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21 (Sept. 6)

Disaster struck early for the Buckeyes as Virginia Tech -- which went on to barely get to bowl eligibility -- took down Ohio State in Columbus, breaking through a porous Buckeyes offensive line for seven sack while limiting Barrett to 9-of-29 passing with three interceptions.

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Ohio State 66, Kent State 0 (Sept. 13)

Ohio State took out its frustration from the loss to the Hokies on a hapless Kent State squad, as Barrett tied a school record with six touchdown passes -- five in the first half.

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Ohio State 50, Cincinnati 28 (Sept. 27)

Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel kept the Bearcats in it with 352 yards passing and four touchdowns, but the Buckeyes exploded for 710 yards of offense behind Barrett and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

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Ohio State 52, Maryland 24 (Oct. 4)

The Buckeyes gave Maryland a cold welcome to the Big Ten in the Terrapins' first home conference game. Barrett continued to show his rapid improvement, passing for 267 yards with five total touchdowns, and Ohio State's defense forced four interceptions.

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Ohio State 56, Rutgers 17 (Oct. 18)

The Buckeyes scored 50 or more points for the fourth consecutive game, setting a school record as they trounced the Scarlet Knights. Barrett racked up five total touchdowns with 261 yards passing and 107 yards on the ground.

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Ohio State 31, Penn State 24 2OT (Oct. 25)

With Barrett struggling through a sprained MCL, the Buckeyes blew a 17-0 lead but escaped Happy Valley with a double-overtime victory. Joey Bosa picked up 2 1/2 sacks, the last one ending the game by forcing a turnover-on-downs.

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Ohio State 55, Illinois 14 (Nov. 1)

After the scare against the Nittany Lions, the Buckeyes took no chances against the Fighting Illini, building a 48-0 advantage en route to the lopsided win.

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Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37 (Nov. 8)

In a College Football Playoff elimination game, Ohio State proved its superiority with a dominant victory in East Lansing. Barrett passed for 300 yards, rushed 86 and scored five touchdowns while Elliott tallied 154 yards on the ground with two scores. The Buckeyes never trailed in the second half.

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Ohio State 31, Minnesota 24 (Nov. 15)

The Buckeyes picked up their second road victory over a ranked team in as many weeks, surviving heavy snow and a 145-yard, three touchdown effort from Golden Gophers running back David Cobb. Despite Barrett setting the Ohio State record for total touchdowns in a season, the Buckeyes needed a late onside kick recovery to seal the win.

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Ohio State 42, Indiana 27 (Nov. 22)

Tevin Coleman (228 yards rushing and three touchdowns) and the Hoosiers gave the Buckeyes all they could handle and might have pulled the stunning upset if not for Jalin Marshall. Ohio State's redshirt freshman score four straight second-half touchdowns, including a 54-yard punt return late in the third quarter that gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.

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Ohio State 42, Michigan 28 (Nov. 29)

The joy of a closer-than-expected win over their biggest rival was muted by the Buckeyes' sorrow over J.T. Barrett's injury, a fractured ankle that ended his season. After the quarterback went down on the first play of the fourth quarter, Ohio State scored twice to pull away for the victory.

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Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0 (Dec. 6)

No Braxton Miller and no J.T. Barrett? No problem for the Buckeyes. Third-stringer Cardale Jones engineered an annihilation of the Badgers as Ohio State dominate every facet of the game and leapfrogged TCU while holding off Baylor to earn the No. 4 seed in the playoff.

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Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (Jan. 1)

Jones delivered again for the Buckeyes, picking up 286 yards of offense as the Ohio State stunned Alabama to win Sugar Bowl and advance to the national title game. Elliott's fourth-quarter, 85-yard touchdown run and Tyvis Powell's interception on Blake Sims' Hail Mary helped seal the upset.

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